Verkhovna Rada Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government recommends Ukrainian Parliament adopt draft law "On amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine" (as to voluntary unification of territorial communities) as a basis

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10 September 2018, 09:45

I.Herashchenko: Pacific Avdiivka replaces mines with books

(&nbspInformation Department of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat&nbsp)

“Mine-sweeping seems to be a
key humanitarian challenge for the Donbas at present. That is why the new bill
on humanitarian demining must be passed during the ongoing plenary session of
the Parliament,” – Iryna Herashchenko while visiting the Donbas

On 8th September,
together with Artur Herasimov, the head of the Ukrainian Permanent Parliamentary
Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) and Iryna Friz, the head of
the Ukrainian Parliamentary Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA),
Iryna Herashchenko, the First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of
Ukraine, the Presidential envoy on a peaceful settlement of the Donetsk-Luhansk
clash paid a working visit to the Donbas.

During the visit,
the parliamentarians met with the command and complement of the 92nd
and 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,
discussed the security and humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine and got
acquainted with proceedings on the search and exhumation of those slain in the
Donbas.

Particular
attention was given to the problem of clearing the territory of the Donetsk and
Luhansk regions from mines and unexploded ordnance, given that a number of
important sites can only be restored once demined.

In the course of
the visit, the parliamentarians inspected the front-line and second-line demining
works conducted by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal
Affairs of Ukraine nearby Novoluhanske (Bakhmut district, Donetsk oblast
(region)).

"The demining
problem is a key humanitarian challenge for the Donbas.The level of pollution of the territory is
very high - more than seven thousand square kilometers of the Luhansk and
Donetsk oblasts need to be checked up against explosives," said I. Herashchenko.

The high-ranking
officials discussed with the mine pickers the peculiarities of the new bill on
humanitarian demining, which will be registered in the Parliament in the coming
days. Iryna Herashchenko also expressed her conviction that the adoption of the
said bill would facilitate the intensification of cooperation with
international partners of Ukraine in obtaining new equipment for demining.

During the working
visit, the parliamentarians also found out more about the system of blocking the
hostile television and radio broadcasting in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

The members of
parliament took part in the celebrations on the occasion of the 240th
anniversary of Avdiivka, and congratulated the residents on the jubilee date. During
the visit, Iryna Herashchenko also awarded the honorary decorations of the
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and handed gifts from Ukrainian book publishers over to
the social workers of Avdiivka.

Likewise, within the
framework of the “Library to the Donbas” charity action she transferred sets of
books of Ukrainian and foreign literature to the military and educational
institutions of Avdiivka.